Make A Wish
by Bellethiel
Summary: Jennyanydots finds an abandoned kitten just outside the junkyard. Because of the kitten's appearance, some of the other Jellicles are suspicious about her. Just who is this mysterious young Jellicle, and where does she come from?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: While I own all the original characters in this fic, I don't own Cats. Cats belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber and the RUG. Also, there are some similarities between this fic and "Running From Family" by Actress of Broadway. When I asked, she said that I could look to her fic for inspiration for mine, but I'm not committing plagiarism here. So, credit goes to her. **

**Make A Wish**

**Chapter One: Jenny's Discovery**

_That went well_, Jennyanydots thought to herself with a smile. She had just finished another successful lesson with her mice students; she'd actually gotten a couple of them to sing during the music lesson. The way she saw it, her lessons more than made up for how she spent her days, just sitting around, not really doing much of anything.

"Jenny dear, how did your lessons go tonight?" Jenny looked up and smiled when she saw her good friend Jellylorum coming her way.

"They went very well, Jelly, thank you." Jenny responded, and the two friends went to the den that Jenny had made for herself. They made themselves comfortable on the old pillows Jenny had furnished her den with. "So, how are Etcetera, Pouncival and Victoria doing?"

Jellylorum smiled. "They're wonderful. I know they haven't seen you in a while, and they miss you considerably, I'll admit. You know, I don't think Asparagus and I would've ever raised them properly without your help."

"Well, if any mates in this tribe gets a litter of kittens of their own, they know where to find me."

Jennyanydots and Jellylorum were as different in appearance as night and day. Jellylorum's coat was a mixture of a golden yellow and white, with a few brown markings on her face, and she was in very good shape for someone her age. Jenny, however, was a little on the large side, and she was a light brown tabby with stripes and spots for markings. When it came to raising the kittens born into the tribe, Jellylorum was a little on the strict side, while Jenny was sweet and fun-loving with a great sense of humor, and she was only strict when it was appropriate to do so. Still, the two queens acted as second mothers to the kittens, and the help they gave was always greatly appreciated by the couples that were first-time parents.

An hour or so later, Jellylorum announced that she had to go back home. "Asparagus will probably be wondering what's taking me so long, I don't normally go out of my den at this hour, you know."

"I do." Jenny smiled, and the two friends laughed. "Say hello to Asparagus and the little ones for me."

"I will." Jelly nodded.

Both queens said goodbye and before Jenny knew it Jellylorum had slipped out of sight. Jenny was just about to go back inside when she thought she heard a muffled mew. Curiosity getting the better of her, she listened and heard it again and realized it was coming from just outside the junkyard. She pawed her way to the source of the sound, and she gasped at what she saw. A young female kitten was lying there in a heap, badly injured. Her fur was stained with blood, so much that Jenny could barely tell what her real fur color was. Upon first glance it would've appeared that this kitten was dead, but Jenny could feel the kitten's pulse and she saw her stomach moving, so she was at least breathing. Soon enough the kitten's eyes opened.

"Are you all right, dear?" Jenny asked, truly concerned.

The kitten's head whirled to the source of the voice, and Jenny saw that the kitten's pretty brown eyes were filled with fear. "W-who are you?" the kitten asked. She had a soft, young voice, so Jenny took her to be around Jemima's age. Her voice also gave away just how scared she was.

"I won't hurt you, I promise. My name is Jennyanydots, but most of the time I'm called Jenny. Do you have a name, dear?"

"Yes, it's Tristesse. Mama chose that name for me when she saw the markings on my face."

"Where is your mother, dear?"

"I…I don't know. This large red thing found Mama and I one night, and it started to attack Mama. She told me to run and I did, but then the thing caught up to me and beat me. She never came back to find me."

Jenny was silent for a minute. She was sure she knew just what, or rather, _who_ this "thing" was that Tristesse was talking about.

"What's wrong?" Tristesse asked, seeing Jenny's grave look.

"It's nothing. When did all this happen?"

"Two days ago."

"Oh, you shouldn't be out here if you're this weak. Come on, dear. Let's get you cleaned up." Jenny helped Tristesse up and they made their way to Jenny's den.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Suspicions from the Others**

Jennyanydots found the most comfortable pillows in her den and quickly made a bed for Tristesse. As soon as she had lied down she fell asleep, and then she set to work cleaning the kitten's fur. When she was halfway done she saw that Tristesse was mostly white, but her tail was tipped a light tan. Her lower arms and front paws were also tan, and the same was true for her back paws and legs from the knee down. Her ears were also tan, and she had brown and tan markings around her eyes. The older queen then spotted something interesting: on her cheeks were three pear-shaped markings, two on her right cheek and one on her left cheek. The markings looked exactly like tears, which gave the impression that she was crying. She supposed this was what earned Tristesse her name, because she knew from listening to her humans talk that Tristesse was French for "sadness".

"Jenny? I was just looking for you and…oh, Heavyside have mercy!"

Jennyanydots turned around to see Jellylorum standing there, staring at the kitten in shock. "I found her just outside the junkyard last night. She didn't have anyone or anywhere to go to, so I took her in." She lowered her voice a little. "I think her mother was murdered by…well, you know who."

"And you think he mutilated this kitten too?"

"Yes. She was covered in blood when I found her." She stopped when she saw her friend's worried look. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Jenny, don't you notice who she resembles?" Jellylorum asked.

"No, who?"

Jellylorum looked around the den, making sure no one was eavesdropping on the pair of them. "She looks like…" she gulped. "_Griddlebone_!"

"What in Heavyside are you talking about?"

"Don't you see? The long fluffy white fur? The golden markings around her eyes? The pink lips? Those are all the same traits that Griddlebone has, you know."

"Jelly, I really don't think she's like Griddlebone at all. I mean, look at her face again. See those tear-shaped marks?"

Jellylorum looked at the kitten again. "I do."

"Griddlebone doesn't have those marks, now does she?"

"I see your point. What's her name?"

"Tristesse. I suppose that's how she got her name, because her name means "sadness" in French."

"How do you know French?" Jellylorum asked, perplexed.

"One of my humans is a French teacher at a school." Jennyanydots explained simply. She took another look at Tristesse and found that she could remember just how the kitten's voice sounded. "I think she's about the same age as Jemima. Do you think Munkustrap and Demeter would be willing to let Jemima meet Tristesse?"

"Well, that all depends. Does she seem trustworthy?"

"Very. Now please, I need some help closing up her wounds."

Jennyanydots spent the next week doing everything she could to make sure that Tristesse would make a full recovery, not just physically but psychologically as well. Tristesse's wounds had healed, the blood was gone, and she had gotten to what Jenny considered a normal weight for a kitten of Tristesse's age (she noticed just how thin the kitten was when she found her).

However, every time Jennyanydots offered to talk with Tristesse about what had happened, the kitten didn't say a word. "I understand that you want to forget what happened," Jenny had said, "but keep in mind that it's sometimes better to talk about something like this."

One afternoon just after Tristesse had laid down for a nap, Jennyanydots left her den to see if Jellylorum, Skimbleshanks, or even Asparagus was around anywhere. She had been so busy that week taking care of the kitten that she hadn't had much time for herself. Right in the center of the junkyard, she saw that her three friends were sitting on the old TSE1 where they normally met.

"Oh, there she is!" Jellylorum rushed her friend's way. "We were wondering how you were doing."

"I'm fine, although I've been rather busy taking care of her." Jennyanydots explained.

"Who would that be, dear?" Skimbleshanks asked in his Scottish burr. The two mates normally shared everything, and it was rare when one of them had a secret.

Jennyanydots looked at him curiously for a second before realization dawned on her. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I can't believe I haven't told any of you yet." Without waiting for questioning from the others she explained what had happened a week ago. The other cats listened intently, but not one of them doubted that she was telling the truth. Even Jellylorum backed her friend up on this, considering that she was actually the first one to see Tristesse after she was taken in. Jellylorum even admitted that she didn't fully trust the kitten because she was so similar in appearance to Griddlebone.

"Jenny," Asparagus said carefully, "I believe you when you say that this kitten is trustworthy and that we have nothing to worry about, but I really think you ought to discuss this with Munkustrap. Maybe even Old Deuteronomy."

"Actually, I believe Munkustrap would be better." Jellylorum said thoughtfully. Looking around the junkyard, the cats spotted the aforementioned tom.

"Munkustrap, could we speak to you please?" Asparagus called.

The gray tabby came over to them. "Of course you may."

All eyes turned to Jennyanydots, but she ignored them and looked directly at the younger tom. "Munkustrap, there's something you should know…"

"So, you're saying that this kitten seems trustworthy enough, despite her appearance?" Munkustrap asked once they'd gone somewhere private and she'd told him the kitten's story. Jennyanydots nodded. "May I see her?"

Jennyanydots took Munkustrap to her den and quietly led him inside. From where they were standing they could see that Tristesse was sleeping peacefully, unbeknownst to the two older cats in the room.

"She seems to be making a good recovery." Munkustrap said after they got back to the corner of the junkyard where they'd been talking. "I might be able to decide where she should go once she recovers."

"I'm not sending her back into the street again!" Jennyanydots exclaimed, staring at Munkustrap in disbelief. "She needs someone to take care of her!"

"Jennyanydots, I am _not_ going to risk the tribe's safety by having her around." Munkustrap spoke firmly, one of the few times he did so to any of the adult cats. Normally, he'd reserve that tone for the kittens.

"Do you honestly think she'd be _that_ dangerous?" the older queen practically shouted. Upon realizing what just happened, she hung her head in shame. Both cats were silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say to each other to avoid another argument over this.

"Was she alone when you found her?" Munkustrap asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes. I think her mother was murdered."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. She has no one else to go to."

Munkustrap, Jennyanydots could tell, was desperately trying to figure out just the right solution that would work for both of them. "All right. She can stay, but you will be fully responsible for her. Now, I'm willing to give her a chance, as I'm sure the others will. However, if she gets caught doing something harmful to anyone on purpose, she either has to stay under you watch constantly or leave the junkyard."

Jennyanydots nodded. "Even though I very highly doubt that she'll do such a thing intentionally, that's fair enough for me." Suddenly she remembered something. "May I introduce her to Jemima?"

Munkustrap considered this and nodded. "Yes. Besides, Tristesse does sound like she'll need a friend around here. You may introduce them, but I must ask you to remember my warning."

"I will."

And with that, both cats returned to the center of the junkyard.


End file.
